First Date
by missy52061
Summary: Hannah Castle goes to the prom. Inspired by "A Death in the Family" For a Castle-less Monday, but at least we only have 4 weeks to go! I don't own Castle, but I wish I did!


It was a quiet Tuesday evening in the Castle household. The three kids were upstairs doing their homework (or so their parents hoped) and Rick and Kate were enjoying an after dinner glass of wine. But that quiet was shattered by a shriek from their daughter, Hannah.

"Mom! Dad!" they heard her exclaim. They looked at each other and jumped up. As they entered the living room, they saw Hannah come down the stairs. Her cheeks were pink with excitement and she was holding her cell phone in her hand.

"Hannah, what's happening?" Kate sounded calm, but Rick knew that was a façade. He could feel the worry coming off her because he was worried too.

"Mark just asked me to go to the prom with him!" Hannah said. "May I go? Oh, I can't believe it!" Hannah had had a crush on Mark for a while. He was part of her circle of friends, so Rick and Kate had met him before. Kate thought he was nice, Rick wasn't so sure. And now it seemed that Hannah's dream had come true.

"Let's sit down and discuss this, okay?" Once again, Kate seemed so calm. Rick was so grateful he wasn't doing this alone. They went into the family room and Rick and Kate sat together on the couch; Hannah had too much energy to sit. Rick was too sad to say anything. His little girl – going on a date? Soon she'd be getting married and he'd be nothing to her. Kate's hand on his thigh grabbed him just a little tighter and he stopped thinking morbid thoughts.

"Oh, please, I would really like to go! I know you let Alexis go to the dance when she was 15, Dad," she said. Now Rick was really going to cry. See, they go on dates, then they get married and leave you, he thought to himself. But then he looked at his baby girl. He remembered how thrilled Alexis was all those years ago, and Hannah had the same happy glow. What else could he say?

"I think that sounds fine, Hannah. You may go," he said calmly. He knew it was the right answer when Hannah hugged him and she and Kate smiled at him. Those beautiful smiles always knocked his socks off – when one Beckett woman smiled at you it was beautiful, but when two Beckett women smiled, he was putty in their hands.

"Oh, Mom, I'm going to need a dress! Do you think Alexis could go shopping with us? And Katie?" The two of them walked out of the room together, making plans. He didn't even try breaking in; he'd learned long ago that the ladies of his family preferred to shop without him. Well, they could hold each other's bags then.

The big day rolled around, and Rick was hanging out in the den with his father-in-law, Jim Beckett, his son-in-law, Mike and his older son, James. His younger son, Alex and his grandson, Joe were off somewhere playing. Hannah was upstairs with her 'entourage' – her grandmother, her mother, her sister and her niece - getting ready for the big night. Rick had pestered them for a preview of the dress, but they refused. The extended family had come for dinner, so now he, Jim and Mike were commiserating with each other, while James laughed at them.

Jim started the conversation, "I didn't like any of Katie's high school boyfriends, you know." Rick nodded at that, and agreed with him. Then he turned to Mike.

"You know, Mike, I didn't like you much when you first started dating my daughter," said Rick. "I'm really not sure I like you much now. I do like your kids a lot, however."

"No problem. I don't plan on liking the guys that date my daughter. In fact, I'm trying to figure out how I can keep Katie away from guys." Mike looked down at his almost empty glass. He knew his father-in-law liked him; but he also understood the sentiment. He was totally prepared to dislike on sight anyone who tried to take his little girl away. Alexis always laughed at him when he said stuff like that. "And what the heck did Alexis mean when she told you 'no severed heads'?" he asked Rick.

Rick looked sheepish. "It was before your time, no need to go there," he quickly replied. Then he heard the voice of his mother, who was using her most dramatic tones.

"Gentlemen, I think you'll want to see this! Presenting Hannah Castle!" Even after all these years, Martha had not lost her flair for the dramatic. The men all walked into the room. Rick looked up the stairs as Hannah walked down, followed by her entourage. He was knocked into silence.

His little girl looked beautiful in a long gown of deep emerald green. Jim, James and Mike were telling her how great she looked. Even Alex and Joe were smiling at her. But Rick was still speechless. Then he caught Kate's eye, and saw the tears in them. He knew he wasn't the only one who was knocked out. He walked up to her, and took her hand. Hannah looked at him with a big smile, and he simply said, "You are gorgeous."

She squeezed his hand and said, "Thank you, Daddy."

When he looked up, Kate and Alexis had ear-to-ear smiles, and when Kate got close, she kissed his cheek. "Nice job, Dad," she whispered into his ear. At almost that same moment, the doorbell rang. Since James was the closest, he answered, and let Mark in. He looked a bit overwhelmed to see the entire extended family in the entrance, but he recovered nicely. Mark gave Hannah her flowers; the young couple posed for pictures, and was soon on their way.

Everyone walked away from the hallway but Rick and Kate. She slid an arm around his waist and leaned into him. Rick kissed her cheek and then he said, "Do you think they'd see me if I tailed them? I've been a PI for a long time now; my ninja following skills are honed to a science." She rolled her eyes and hit him in the chest.

"It was creepy when you followed Alexis to preschool, and it would be even worse to follow Hannah to the prom. And besides, you're not a ninja," she laughed. He pouted, but he knew she was right. Well, he'd just sit up and wait for his baby, no matter what. Because that was his job.

 **A/N: A prompt fill for one of my dedicated readers/reviewers, hfce, who asked "** **Since you made Hannah 12 let's see how Rick handles teen Hannah next. LOL!" Here you go, Hannah's first date.**


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